Sabudana Khichdi with Moringa leaves

Sabudana Khichdi with Moringa leaves – a quick and easy Indian dish made with sabudana/sago/tapioca pearls, potatoes, peanuts, moringa leaves and some basic spices and aromatics, a perfect breakfast; totally vegan and gluten free!

Once I knew I could make perfect sabudana khichdi with soft, fully pearls of yumminess, I even made some purple cabbage sabudana khichdi too using fresh red cabbage juice as well as some gorgeously colored beetroots to soak the sabudana pearls!

Do check out those too below!

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Traditionally, sabudana khichdi, a typical Maharahstrian dish (from the western part of India) is made without moringa leaves, but with a huge tree in our home and a constant supply of this super food moringa leaves to use in my every day cooking, I could not resist but stir in a huge handful in this easy dish too.

Turmeric is also absent in the original recipe. Adding this other super food is also my healthier take on this simple, yet super delicious no, onion-no, garlic breakfast/snack dish.

So easy to make and yet so nutritious, mouthwatering and filling!

Detailed step-wise recipe and recipe card below.

WHAT IS SABUDANA KHICHDI?

Loosely translated to “tapioca pearls mixture”, it is a slightly chewy dish with the crunch of roasted peanuts, soft bites of sabudana and potatoes along with a heady aroma of cumin, ginger and curry leaves.

Each pearl of tapioca/sago is soaked in water until soft and then cooked with the above mentioned ingredients; the whole process takes absolutely no time (except for the soaking part)!

Soaking time of sabudana is actually the longest; about 8 hours to overnight.

In Indian cuisine history, sabudana khichdi is considered a fasting food, filling and nutritious but in Maharashtra (a western Indian state), this super yum dish is enjoyed all year round especially for breakfast.

I am flabbergasted after making and tasting it as to why I had never made this before! This one is going into my recipe repertoire to make again and again!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE MORINGA SABUDANA KHICHDI:

Sabudana pearls – these are cute, white colored tapioca pearls or sago pearls available in the dry form in most Indian and/or specialty Asian stores. All you have to do is rinse them well and soak in just enough water for at least 6 hours to overnight. They turn into these fluffy, soft and almost cooked pearls of chewy soft delights!

Potatoes – this adds a lovely additional texture to the softness of the cooked tapioca pearls; can substitute with green peas.

Peanuts – a must in sabudana khichdi, you can either use raw and roast along with potatoes or add in already roasted peanuts (crushed and some whole) along with soaked soaked sabudana.

Moringa leaves – this is a totally optional ingredient but like I said, with a large and constant supply of moringa leaves from my garden (in the super healthy and super food category), I had to mix in some in this already super yum dish. You can use finely chopped spinach or any green leafy vegetable instead too or even soak the pearls in purple/red cabbage juice for a different version (details below)

Spices – basic spice is jeera/cumin seeds.

Lemon or lime juice

Chopped cilantro/coriander leaves for garnish

Other ingredients –green chilies/chopped jalapenos, curry leaves and some chopped or grated ginger along with the basics – oil, salt and sugar

METHOD:

PREPPING SABUDANA/SAGO/TAPIOCA PEARLS:

Wash 1 cup sabudana/sago pearls well to remove all excess starch and then soak in 1 cup of room temperature water for 6-8 hours or overnight.

You will notice by the next morning, all the water has been soaked by those gorgeous, pearls of white sago and would have turned plump and soft. Test for readiness by pressing between your fingers. It should easily squash when pressed. Or else, soak for some more time.

If you find there is still some moisture or water, drain completely. Set aside.

TO MAKE SABUDANA KHICHDI:

In a deep saucepan/kadai, heat 2 tablespoon cooking oil and when hot, sprinkle ½ teaspoon jeera or cumin seeds. Let is sizzle in the hot oil for a few seconds.

Then add 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, 2 green chilies (or jalapeno or Serrano), finely chopped or sliced along with a few curry leaves (8-10).

Fry on medium heat for some more seconds.

Stir in ½ cup chopped potatoes (peeled and diced) along with a pinch of salt, 1/3 teaspoon turmeric powder and ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder.

At this stage, if you are using raw peanuts, add and sauté along with the potatoes.

(If using already roasted peanuts like I have, you can crush them coarsely and then add along with the soaked sago pearls).

Mix well and fry on medium low heat, covered until the potatoes are cooked; soft and slightly crispy.

Stir in chopped moringa leaves (about 1 to 1 ½ cups) and fry again for a couple of minutes to soften the leaves.

Once the potatoes and moringa leaves are cooked, add the soaked tapioca pearls, crushed already roasted peanuts (if using that), pink salt or regular salt to taste and about 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar to make for a savory yet mildly sweet (not too much!) taste. Feel free to avoid the sugar if preferred.

Mix thoroughly but gently, cover and cook on medium heat for about 2 to 4 minutes until the pearls turn translucent. Do not overcook and do not over mix or they will turn mushy.

When done, squeeze some lemon juice, garnish with 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly chopped coriander leaves, mix again and serve hot.

Traditionally, it is enjoyed with some curd/yogurt but I love to top with more roasted peanuts and sev (crisp fried chickpea batter noodles).

PURPLE CABBAGE SABUDANA KHICHDI (Updated September 11, 2022):

Purple cabbage (or sometimes called "red cabbage") is slightly more nutritious than green cabbage in terms of amount of minerals and vitamins as well in helping reducing inflammation as well as in preventing cancer and it has a gorgeous color too!

I try and have some in my fridge to use in salads or stir fries but this time, decided to use it in this dish not only to add its nutrients to it but it looks beautiful too with a hue of my favorite color "purple"!

Recipe is same as the regular khichdi but there is a slight difference in the soaking part.

I soaked 1 cup of sabudana pearls in blended cabbage juice with water (to total 1 cup)  and DID NOT USE ANY TURMERIC.

Soaked overnight, the tapioca pearls turn into this gorgeous color, it adds that extra oomph to the dish!

Rest of the recipe is the same.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

SABUDANA KHICHDI WITH BEETROOT (Updated October 2024):

With experimenting to make the purple sabudana khichdi using purple cabbage, could not resist making again but by using beetroots to color the tapioca pearls a lovely reddish pink!

I just pressure cooked a few chunks of beets, pureed them and then added to the soaking water. Again in a 1:1 ratio with sabudana.

 

 

Rest of the recipe is the same.

A great way to get your family to eat beetroots isn't it?

I could not believe it is so easy to turn a simple traditional recipe around to make it more nutritious, attractive to family especially kids and enjoy the deliciousness at the same time!

Do try this easy peasy and simple yet nutritious Sabudana Khichdi any way you want...plain, with moringa leaves, using purple cabbage or even beetroots to hue the dish with that lovely color!  

TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST SABUDANA KHICHDI:

1. Wash sabudana well in plenty of water until the water runs clear. This is a very important step to remove excess starch.
2. Always use a good quality sabudana; makes a huge difference.
3. Soak the washed and drained sabudana in 1:1 water for at least 5 hours up to overnight; that is, if you are using 1 cup sabudana, add 1 cup room temperature water. A good quality sabudana would have absorbed all the water and each pearl will look soft and separate. If there is excess water, do drain thoroughly using a colander.
4. When cooking in the pan, use medium heat and cook covered for just a few minutes (2 to 4 minutes) until the sabudana turns transparent. Do not mix too much and do not over cook as they may turn mushy and will tend to stick to each other.
5. I made this for the first time and it was perfect; non sticky, well cooked and each pearl was soft and separate!
6. Adding moringa leaves and turmeric or red cabbage juice/beetroot is optional but trust me, you will love it!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Sabudana Khichdi is best served and enjoyed freshly made with a side of yogurt but we loved with some crunchy sev on the side and more roasted peanuts on top.

Leftovers can be refrigerated; just reheat in microwave and serve hot again.

If you do happen to try this, I would be thrilled to hear about it; please leave your comments and thoughts (do not forget to rate it with a star rating) in the box below or share your version on Instagram (tagging @curryandvanilla16; #curryandvanilla16) and/or share it on my Facebook page.

Here are some more easy to make Indian breakfast dishes you may enjoy:

• Spicy Matar Poha
• Rulanva Dhoddak with Lauki (Savory semolina Pancakes)
• Ven Pongal/Khara Pongal
• Mixed Vegetable Upma

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